Undying Love
by deisakuvskaksaku97
Summary: Sequel for Unintended Crossover. Long live Deidara and Fury my OC ! The Akatsuki joins Konoha for Orochimaru's invasion, meanwhile, Fury is weighing her love for Kakashi and Deidara.
1. The Briefing

**Undying Love**

_**The Briefing**_

'Hey, Grandma Tsunade, what's so important that we called us here so early?' Naruto asked the Fifth Hokage, stifling a yawn. She narrowed her eyes and glared at Naruto who was oblivious to the danger ahead.

Kakashi rolled his uncovered eye and stepped in to save him. 'Yeah, it's barely the crack of dawn.' He was feeling tired himself. Sakura groaned beside him and rubbed her weary eyes. She had been working at hospital all night and she's barely gotten any sleep.

Tsunade's eye twitched. Jiraiya exchanged a wary glance with Shizune and cleared his throat hastily. 'You three are not the only ones summoned here at this time.' He informed them.

As he finished talking, there was a gentle knocking on the door and it opened. They all turned to see who it was.

Dense gave a snore and slumped down to the floor, his hand on the knob supporting him from falling headlong to the cold tile floor. Center appeared behind him and kicked him lazily. 'Wake up, Dense.' He said sleepily.

'Move it!' A familiar voice called impatiently. Kakashi brightened up at the sound of it.

Fury stepped in view and pulled Dense to his feet. He grunted in surprise. 'Hey, I know you're tired too but you don't have to be so ratty.' He mumbled. Naruto grinned despite his weariness.

Kakashi smiled too and Fury caught his eye. She smiled then yawned. 'Good morning.' He greeted her as she walked towards him. She waved a hand vaguely back. The other element ninjas walked in with the same tired expression on their faces.

'I've called you here to tell you something important.' Tsunade started in a loud and clear voice. 'I've just been informed that Orochimaru and the Sound village are planning to attack the Leaf village in less than two weeks.'

'WHAT?' The half-asleep group jolted in surprise. They were instantly more alert.

'Who informed you about this?' Kakashi asked suspiciously. Tsunade hesitated while the others watched her intently.

'The Akatsuki.' She finally said.

There was a dead silence. Kakashi looked quickly at Fury who was frozen in horror. He took her hand and she looked at him in a stricken way. The others were talking among themselves urgently. They kept looking at Naruto.

'Did it occur to you that the Akatsuki might have made this up to get closer to Naruto?' Rush said to Tsunade. She shook her head.

'Trust me, we interrogated them and they weren't lying. You could ask them if you like.' She said then nodded at Shizune.

Fury winced. 'That shouldn't be necessary.' But no one heard her except Kakashi who looked at her sadly.

There were footsteps then ten cloaked figures appeared. The room was silent as they took in the Akatsuki. Fury tried not to hyperventilate as she saw the yellow blonde hair under a rice hat.

Pain nodded at Tsunade respectfully enough but didn't glance once at Jiraiya who was studying him with regret on his face. Suddenly, he saw Fury and his face registered surprise. 'Fury, didn't expect to see you here.' he greeted quietly but everyone had heard him.

All heads turned towards Fury including the blonde head still under the rice hat. She stiffened then relaxed when Kakashi rested a hand on the small of her back. 'Yes, I didn't expect to see you here too. How are you?'

'You know him?' Tsunade asked, scandalized. She darted a glance at Pain for help and he smiled reassuringly.

'She was hurt during a mission and we took her back to heal her. We did a good job considering,' He added cheerfully. 'Right, Sasori? Deidara?'

Two figures took down their rice hats and grinned at Fury. 'Right.' Deidara said, his grin faltering a bit as he took in Fury beside Kakashi.

'I think that is enough proof to trust them.' Tsunade broke through briskly. 'If they won't hurt a Leaf village ninja, they won't lie to us. You trust them?' She asked Fury who nodded confidently thought her insides were numb.

'Ok, dismiss!' Tsunade ordered and they cleared out of the room. Whirl and Rush looked at Fury anxiously but she was blocked by Deidara.

'Do you want to catch up on old times?' He asked her cheerfully, his fake grin still plastered on his face which looked weary. Fury exhaled sharply and Deidara looked desperate instantly. '_Please_.'

She looked at Kakashi who nodded. 'Alright.' She said and Deidara took her by the hand happily. Kakashi watched them walked away, jealousy boiling inside him. He clenched his fists in his pockets.


	2. A Promise to Himself

_**A Promise to Himself**_

Deidara brought Fury to a roof of a building and they sat down awkwardly next to each other.

'So how did Pain find out about Orochimaru?' Fury asked, trying to sound curious.

Deidara hesitated then shrugged. 'Sasori had a few spies running around. We can get information anytime we want.' He said grinning at Fury who couldn't stop a smile. 'But enough about us, what about you? You and Kakashi made plans for the future yet?'

His tone was casual but Fury saw his tensed expression. She shook her head and he relaxed. 'It's been busy since I came back. We never really get to see each other.' She said, hugging her legs.

Deidara looked up at the sky which was starting to become brighter. 'I missed you.' He said quietly. 'We all do; the food sucks without you.' He groaned. Fury laughed then stopped when Deidara took her hand and squeezed it lovingly.

'I read your letter. I didn't know that it hurts so much for you than it does to me.' She said, letting him caress her wrist and fingers. He sighed and kissed the tips of her fingers gently. She pulled her hand back quickly. 'Kakashi's watching.' She mouthed. He rolled his eye and smirked unconvincingly.

'Let him see.'

'Don't be mean.'

'Mean? Me? You haven't seen anything yet?' He mused, smirking wider.

'What was it that you want to talk about?' Fury asked, her curiousity aroused.

Deidara bit his lower lip. 'I just want to say to you person that I,' he paused for a moment. Fury waited patiently. 'I love you.'

'I know you do. You can't help it if you can't get rid of it.' She ran her fingers through her side fringe to cover her face. Deidara pushed away her hand and brushed it back. He used his index finger and thumb and turned her head towards him.

He studied her face carefully and sighed happily. 'It feels so good to see your face again.' He murmured, touching her lips with his fingers. Suddenly, he lunged forward and hugged her tightly. She let him hold her for a while.

'I can't kiss you so I'll have to make do with hugs.' He said after pulling away. He looked slightly more cheerful. Fury decided to take this chance and say what she needed to say.

'Deidara?' She murmured, leaning in closely. Understanding what she was doing, Deidara leaned in too obediently. 'After I read the letter, I realized some feelings that I never felt coming to me and they're all telling me one thing.'

'What?' He asked, gazing at her face and moaning inside at how beautiful she was.

'I love you too.'

He smiled. 'I know. You can't help it,' He whispered in her ear. There was silence as the both of them gaze at each other, their noses millimetres apart. Fury's heart thumped as Deidara moved his head. She closed her eyes and waited then…nothing.

She opened her eyes in surprise. Deidara had pulled back with a horrified expression on his face. 'No, we can't do this. I promised myself I would never make the same mistake again.' He muttered, getting up and making his way down the rood unsteadily.

'Deidara, wait!' She said shrilly. He stopped and turned around, his face still shocked. She got up and returned the hug she received just now. 'It may always come down to me and Kakashi but you'll always be my friend.' She said, holding back tears.

Deidara removed her hands away from him and nodded edgily. 'I can't hurt you anymore.' He said remorsefully then jumped off the roof to join the rest of the Akatsuki. Fury watched him walk away.

'He did the right thing, you know.' Kakashi's voice said from behind her. She hung her head and hugged herself.

'You were watching.' It was a statement not a question. He didn't bother to make an excuse.

'Yes, I was and I heard what you said to him. You're right, it'll always come down to you and me.' He said.

'I'm sorry, Kakashi.' She sobbed. 'I love him too but it just isn't right for the both of us.' Kakashi wrapped his hands around her. She leaned against his chest wistfully. She felt his soft uncovered lips on her neck. He was kissing her the way she felt she didn't deserve. It was loving and caring.

'I don't deserve you.' She sighed. 'I owe you a lot.'

Kakashi shook his head. 'No, _I _owe you a lot. You died to save me then you gave up on the most important thing you had to save us all. You gave up your love when it was all there. I don't deserve what you're always willing to give me.' He squeezed her tighter.

The remaining tears dropped from her eyes and she blinked them away. 'Deidara deserves someone better than me.' She said in firm voice. 'I can't tell why he doesn't want to go that way, find another one who loves him back.'

'It's because you're the best thing that has ever happened to him and he doesn't want to let that get away.' Kakashi said, pulling his mask back on. She turned her head to look at him in surprise.

'How would you know that?' She asked.

'Because you're the best thing that has ever happened to me. I cannot allow you to be separated from me. It's you.' He answered, giving her an eye-crinkling smile. Without meaning to, she smiled back happily. 'That's more like it.'

'Thank you.' She said, kissing his masked cheek. 'I love you, Kakashi.'

'I love you too, Fury.' He said.

~…~…~

Deidara listened all through this. He was standing under the roof, watching his substitution clone talking to Sasori. He knew he did the right thing by distracting Fury with another him, though he wished he had kissed her. It was just too much to bear, watching her getting hurt if Kakashi dumped her.

Kakashi knew he was under the roof. But, Deidara had a feeling that he hadn't said those things just to hurt him. It was the truth all the time. He leaned back and took a deep breath then reached up to the roof.

'Hey, Fury,' He said, trying not to stare at the tightly-wrapped couple. Fury started and jumped apart from Kakashi, who looked irritated.

'I thought you were gone with the others.' Fury said mildly. Deidara cringed at the annoyed tone but regained his posture.

'Yeah, about that, we tried checking into every available spot here but the people ran away when they saw us. So we're homeless for the moment.' He said truthfully, remembering the scene during dawn when the receptionists had fled when they saw the Akatsuki. He looked at her meaningfully then added, 'And starving,'

Fury raised her eyebrow. 'OK, I get it. Where are the others?' She asked in a weary voice.

'Wait here.' He jumped down from the roof and just in time as his clone came up with the rest of the less than happy Akatsuki. Fury motioned to Kakashi and the both of them jumped down from the roof.

'You guys need a place to stay?' She asked them with a friendly enough grin then she saw the Deidara clone and her smile faded. 'Deidara.' She said through grinded teeth. The clone disappeared with a loud 'poof' and Fury glared at the real Deidara who was smirking.

Konan shook her head disapprovingly. 'You were eavesdropping, weren't you?' She hissed at Deidara who backed down a little. She turned her back to him and studied Fury. 'Hi, it's been boring without you. I hope you can overlook Deidara's stupidity and let us stay at our house for a while.'

'Hey!' Deidara protested. Sasori kicked him warningly but Konan ignored them.

Fury smiled reassuringly. 'Sure, you guys can stay. We've got more rooms than we need anyway. But it won't be quiet or peaceful like you think.' She said, feeling a bit awkward surrounded but criminals and her lover watching behind her cautiously.

'Thank you.' Pain said in his calm and soft voice. Fury wondered how he was going to handle the noisy state of the Power House. Even with all the Akatsuki combined, they couldn't make much noise as forty-four people do.

'Yeah, we always welcome friends of Fury or anybody else to our house.' Center's sarcastic voice broke through the tense crowd. A wave of relief and annoyance rushed over Fury. The Akatsuki turned in surprise to survey their future forty-three housemates.

'Yay! More friends for Tobi!' Tobi squealed. Deidara threw him a dirty look but didn't say anything, keeping his temper down until the hyper Akatsuki finally struck a nerve as usual.

Hidan scanned the group with his pinkish purple eyes approvingly and hungrily. 'Wow, I'll be swimming in girls by the time this day is over.' He said. Fury's jaw dropped in horror but the Akatsuki seemed indifferent.

Kakuzu nudged him hard in the ribs. 'Slow down, you wolf.' He advised his partner, but his voice was drowned by the gasps of girls who swarmed right up to Hidan and started flirting vivaciously.

A nerve inside of Fury snapped. 'Ice! Spread! Scream! All you girls keep away from him!' She ordered. The girls except Ice and Scream turned to her pleadingly.

Scream rolled her eyes. 'Just because you have a boyfriend already doesn't mean you get to shine all the time, Miss-Have-It-All.' She said spitefully to Fury who growled.

'If there's ever a flood and you guys are stuck, you'll be the very last one I'd save.' She snapped.

'See, there you go again, thinking you're so great and heroic.' Scream shot back, her hand clinging on Hidan's sleeve tightening.

'Shut up, Scream.' Ice said coolly. Scream went quiet but she continued to glare at Fury.

The Akatsuki watched through this in bewilderment. They had always assumed that Fury got along with all her friends fine. But apparently, the others were used to it. Rush sighed and pulled Fury away, breaking the looking-daggers match.

Hidan didn't have time to say anything before the girls started pulling and talking sweetly to him. They pulled him away from the others. Hidan turned in his head to shout at the shell-shocked crowd. 'I'll catch up with you guys later!' he yelled, his grin spreading over his shining and delighted face.

'Pervert.' Sasori muttered and Kisame snickered.


	3. Settling Down

_**Settling Down**_

'Here, home sweet home.' Dense said, waving his hand vaguely at the large terrace that loomed over them. Kisame grinned at Itachi who nodded.

'I'll show you your rooms.' Whirl said, leading the Akatsuki into the house.

Deidara turned and smiled at Fury who was standing beside Kakashi. 'I'll see at dinner. You're cooking dinner, right?' He asked in a nervous tone. Fury laughed and nodded. He sighed in relief. 'Yeah, okay, see you.'

He made to turn to the door then swiveled back at the last minute and caught Fury in a hug. She gasped in surprise but the hug didn't last long as Kakashi pulled her away angrily. Deidara smirked widely.

'I love you.' He said then shut the door behind him quickly.

Kakashi glanced at Fury. 'From now on, I'm keeping you beside me all the time.' He said, pushing her further away from the house, his movements furious.

'You're jealous.' Fury stated, unable to hide a grin. He put a hand on her back.

'Yes, I'm jealous and very angry.' He said.

Fury stopped walking and wrapped her hands around his neck. 'And what are you going to do about it?' She whispered. Kakashi pulled down his mask and hugged her waist.

'This.' He pushed his mouth against hers roughly but lovingly. He kept kissing her mouth in a hard way and didn't leave room for her to breathe. Finally, he pulled apart with a satisfied expression on his face.

'Whoa.' She gasped out. 'Boy, I love it when you're angry. Let's leave it for tonight.' She added quickly when Kakashi started to lean into her again. His face registered disappointment but he dropped it.

Someone cleared their throat in the background. Fury spun around to see Rush. 'It's time for breakfast?' He reminded her. She nodded quickly.

'I'll see you soon.' Kakashi said to her. She frowned.

'C'mon, you're always welcome to stay. Free breakfast,' She pleaded, tugging at the crook of his arm. He just shook his head and walked away into the forest.

Rush rolled his eyes, surprised that Fury hadn't figured it out yet. 'Hello? Akatsuki, Shinobi, they don't mix.' He told her. She sighed. 'So what can you make for fifty-four people today?' He asked her, suddenly smirking widely.

She froze and stared at him fearfully. 'Darn it! I forgot to buy food!' She cried hurrying into the house to check the cupboards and fridge. Rush raised an eyebrow. 'I can't even make pancakes! We're out of flour and eggs!'

'I'll get some of our household savings and we'll do some shopping.' He assured her. She nodded and waited for him to get the money. Then they headed to the village market which wasn't nearly as crowded as always since most of the people shop at seven o' clock and it was only six.

Rush watched Fury carefully as she picked out some vegetables. 'So what are you going to do?'

'Huh?'

'You know, with Kakashi and Deidara around. You can't get friendly with either of them without making the other jealous.' He related.

Fury shrugged absently. 'Deidara will live.' She said in a vague voice, handing over some cash to the stall owner. She moved to the egg stall and heaved some cartons of eggs into paper bags.

Rush looked perplexed. 'So does that mean you're ditching Deidara?' He asked in such an angry voice that Fury stared in surprise. She pushed the egg bag into his arms and narrowed her eyes.

'Not exactly, Deidara.' She said, glaring at him. There was a loud 'poof!' then an awkward Deidara stood in the spot, holding a paper bag in his arms. Fury suppressed a sigh and moved again to the butcher's. 'You nearly got me there. Rush would never question my love life unless I bring it up.' She threw him a filthy look.

The blonde shuffled his feet nervously. 'You didn't really mean what you said, did you?' He asked her, looking hurt.

'I repeat, not exactly,' She said through gritted teeth. She had a feeling she would be doing that a lot.

'You missed out 'Deidara' and that doesn't answer my question.' He answered, pushing the bag of eggs to his left hand and taking the bag of meat from Fury. She pondered over this as they walked to the fishmonger's.

'I thought I made it clear that Kakashi is the one I love.' She finally said.

Deidara groaned. 'I know but I want to know if you still want me around at all.'

'Of course I do.' She said after a moment's hesitation. He narrowed his eyes. 'I really do want you with me but you can't keep questioning me about my social life.'

'Yeah, like the Akatsuki life is much more interesting.' He replied sarcastically.

'Why did you transform into Rush?' She asked, determined to change the subject. 'You should have chosen Whirl or someone who enjoys gossip like Dense or Center.'

Deidara looked at her. 'I ran into Rush when he was getting the money. He told me what was going on so I decided to come with you.' He explained.

Fury snorted and took her fish. She slipped into the grocery store then appeared again with more bags in her hand. Deidara rushed forward to help her. They walked back to the house in silence.

A touchy crowd was expecting them with their arms folded. Fury scowled at them, daring them to lecture her. But she heard Deidara's hands chewing noisily and the crowd evaporated quickly.

'Thanks.' She said quietly as they set down the bags. He nodded stiffly and headed to the living room. She sighed–this was getting more complicated by the minute.

But she didn't have time to think about relationships because she had to prepare breakfast as fast as she could. Half an hour later, she had all the snacks set out. She sat down in the kitchen, hearing the others devouring her labour food and leaving none for her. Moaning in hunger, she hid her head in her hands on the table

'Breakfast, beautiful?' A familiar voice asked her. She looked up in shock and saw Kakashi, holding a takeaway carton. He was grinning cheerfully as if his touchiness that morning had not existed at all.

'Kakashi!' She croaked out and accepted the ramen with his kiss. She opened the carton and ate it happily. Kakashi sat down beside her, reading his book.

'Hey, Fury, you want some ham?' The kitchen door swung open and Deidara came in, holding a plate piled with slices of honey-roasted ham. He stopped in his steps when he saw Fury eating the ramen and Kakashi reading beside her. His smile slid off his face and he backed out of the kitchen. 'Sorry,' He said and the door banged shut before Fury could stand up.

'Deidara,' She said weakly but didn't call him back. Kakashi felt uncomfortable for a brief moment. Fury finished the rest of the ramen, her spirits lost. She threw the carton in the bin in a bad-tempered way.

'Why don't you talk to him?' Kakashi suggested, standing up and putting a hand on the small of her back. She shook her head and looked at him.

'Don't you have training with Naruto and Sakura?' She asked, trying to drive him off the subject. It worked and he started.

'Damn! What time is it?' He didn't wait for an answer but made his way out the kitchen in a way that looked more relaxed than stressed. She grinned, staring at the door and wondering what excuse he was going to pull out this time.

Suddenly, the door burst open and Hidan came through, looking harassed. 'Hi.' He called out when he finally noticed her. She opened her mouth to greet him back but a swarm of girls appeared all of a sudden and enveloped him in hugs.

She watched him being dragged away and calling for help. Smirking, she headed to the living room and nearly crashed into someone as she opened the door.

'Ow! Sorry!' She winced and rubbed her ribs painfully.

'Yeah, I think I deserved that.' Deidara's sarcastic voice answered back. She gaped at him in surprise. He was still holding the plate with the ham on it. He met her eyes and offered the plate to her. 'Ham?'

She took it, feeling touched by his thoughtfulness. 'I'm not really hungry.' She confessed, blushing. Deidara squashed the temptation to touch her face and turned away reluctantly. She didn't call him back but watched him heading up the stairs to the bedrooms, her hands gripping the plate tightly.


	4. Training Battle: Fury vs Dense!

_**Training Battle: Fury vs. Dense**_

The Akatsuki watched carefully as Center and Spread expertly increasing the density of the forest. Center was 'communicating' (as he called it) with the earth while Spread tended to the trees, making them grow faster.

'This is beyond imaginable.' Kakuzu said as the trees started shooting up. 'Isn't this against the law of nature or something?' He looked around him with a questioning look.

'They're element ninjas. They _are _nature.' Itachi answered, squinting with his Sharingan in concentration. Kakuzu pondered over this. Spread gave Center the signal and he stopped pushing the earth. They grinned at the silent but watchful Akatsuki.

'We're lucky today.' Center mused. 'It's Dense versus Fury. They always have the best battles.' Deidara felt surprised.

'You fight each other?'

Spread shrugged. 'That's how we train. It's always a good time to improvise with what we can do. The others are looking forward to this.' She jerked her head at the other element ninjas who were discussing something eagerly.

'I'm going down this time.' Fury's voice suddenly said. They swiveled around to see her surveying the grounds. 'Dense has a new strategy for getting past my fire.'

'I'm still putting my money on you.' Whirl said from behind Spread. Suddenly, a crowd was gathering around and people were jotting down hefty prices. Whirl looked at the Akatsuki. 'You guys in?'

'Hell yeah!' Hidan said enthusiastically. 'I'm betting on Fury winning.'

'Me too.' Kakuzu said. The others agreed too and coined in their money.

Kisame suddenly remembered something. 'Speaking about bets, I forgot we never got to settle ours.' He said, grinning around the Akatsuki. It took a while for the others who had participated in the Deidara vs. Sasori bet.

'What bet?' Deidara, Sasori and Tobi said simultaneously.

'But there was no clear winner!' Zetsu protested, ignoring them.

Kakuzu shook his head. 'No, the bet was about who she would _pick_ not be with.' He said, determined to scrap in money.

'What bet?' Deidara asked again angrily.

The others seemed to notice him for the first time. Pain spoke first, 'We had a private bet about you and Sasori and who Fury will choose. I guess my bet was lost.' He shrugged at Konan. The both of them had sided Sasori.

'You had a stupid bet on me!' Fury burst out, orange flames licking her vivid hair.

'Oops!' Pool breathed out.

Whirl stepped in quickly. 'Let's forget about this at the moment. You've got a training battle to go through, Fury.' She added to her friend who was fuming at the Akatsuki. Fury wanted nothing more than to burn the criminals alive but she decided otherwise. The training was more important.

She and Dense stood firmly in the middle of the ground. Their eyes were fixed on each other.

'Make sure you win!' Hidan shouted cluelessly to Fury. The others turned their eyes and glared at him. Kakuzu sighed and tugged at his partner by the collar.

There was a tense silence then suddenly, Dense leaped at Fury. Deidara felt his arm twitched instinctively. Fury, on the other hand, had expected the move. She brought up her hands and caught Dense's clenched fist. She leaned forward and pushed.

The Akatsuki watched in awe as Dense was flung into the air and down to the ground, disappearing behind a cloud of dusty air. They waited as it cleared. Fury stood alone; Dense was nowhere to be seen. She glanced around for a moment.

The crowd started as she jumped into the air just in time as a block of solid grey rock pushed out from the ground. The pointy tip curled but Fury pulled her leg away quickly. She was almost to the ground when another rock smashed out and tried to attack her. She dodged away but wherever she reached, a rock would try to snatch at her. The final rock gave way at the tip and Dense burst out with a smirk on his face. Fury concentrated her strength to her right hand and aimed.

A slab of rock rose from the ground to block her punch. Nevertheless, her fist went right through the thickness of it and was suddenly centimetres from Dense. He dodged out of the way but his clothes caught fire. Deidara and Sasori looked at each other and grinned.

Dense skidded across the ground and hurried to put out the fire. Fury allowed him a few seconds to put it out then attacked him again. This time, her fist connected with his chest. There was a 'poof!' then Fury felt her hands feeling contact with air. She cursed and turned back to the grounds. Her dark eyes were scanning the rocks intensely. Deidara felt a surge of pride which he couldn't explain.

Just then, Fury smiled then punched the ground. There was an earth-shattering crash and the ground shook dangerously but it didn't crack or explode. From somewhere beneath them, Dense winced and groaned.

'Ow!'

'Come out or risk getting hit in the head again!' Fury yelled at the brown and innocent earth.

'Ok, ok…' Dense grumbled then shoved himself out of the earth, holding his head painfully.

'Impressive.' Itachi said quietly to Pain who gave a slight nod.

Dense recovered quickly enough. He raised his hand and waved it. One of the pointy rocks bent forward and stretched towards Fury, its point spinning. Fury didn't have time to dodge it. She had just enough time to protect herself behind a wall made from her fire. She took a step back as the point connected with the wall and grinded to a halt. Dense scowled. The wall disappeared and Fury caught hold of the rock and jerked at it.

Hidan and Kakuzu's jaws dropped as the rock broke with a sickening crunch and Fury flung it away into the forest. There was a loud boom and the birds went flying and shrieking, circling the sky in panic. The dumbfounded crowd didn't have time to gaze as Fury plunged at Dense with a head-on attack. Besides than manipulating fire, her taijutsu was well accomplished. The both of them aimed and dodged each other's attacks. Dense managed to force Fury back with Rock Fist technique. She smashed into a tree and dropped to the ground.

Deidara tensed up, worrying for her. He was not the only one, Sasori and the rest of the Akatsuki watched in concern as she stood up unsteadily.

'Don't worry, she'll make it. She always does.' A comfortable voice assured them. The Akatsuki turned their heads to see Kakashi beside them, watching the battle. Naruto and Sakura were also with him, their eyes fixated on Fury. He looked at Fury and smiled to himself.

Fury recovered and her hands shot out. Fireballs aimed tirelessly at Dense. He blocked them easily with his rocks but Fury sent out a last gigantic ball of fire at him, forcing him to abandon his shield and duck for cover behind the trees. The crowd lowered their heads and brought up their arms to block the shards of rock from them.

Fury panted wearily. The last attack had used up almost all her strength. Dense shot out from the tree he was hiding behind and placed his palms on the ground. Fury's eyes widened in shock at his unfazed smirk – she knew what was coming.

Boulders of rock shot up from different directions of her and started closing in. She tried smashing through the ground to escape but her plan was demolished as a larger boulder of rock rose from beneath her feet and started wrapping her legs with its thin-cut rock. She tugged helplessly but the rock held on tightly. She looked up to see the other boulders forming a roof on top of her. She growled…there was only way to it.

She gathered her breath and brought her hands up to a tiger hand sign.

* * *

**This chapter is mostly about fighting so if you don't like it you can skip it. Pls R&R if you like my prev. chapters! ^^ :)**


	5. Ending the Battle

_**Ending the Battle**_

The other Elementals watched the giant ball of rock closely, their faces held no concern. Naruto, Sakura and Kakashi were struck by the power of Dense's new attack but they were secretly confident that Fury would find a way out.

Dense's mouth twisted up in a smirk. He lowered his hands slightly. 'Guess I win this round.' He said. Whirl flicked a glance at him and glanced uncertainly at the boulder.

There was a deathly silence then…

'Flame Incarnation Jutsu!' Fury's voice burst through the rock and there was a deafening crack as the rock boulder trembled, giving away from something pushing at it from the inside.

Dense stared at the rock in alarm for a few seconds then jumped out of the way just in time as it exploded. Huge shards of rock zoomed across the forest followed by orange and red flames at their tails. Whirl and Rush had expected this, they leaped in front of the audience and casted a shield of water and air. The rocks bounced off it, leaving them unscathed.

They waited as the flying rocks lessened and the rubble around them died down to clear their vision. The first thing they saw was Dense behind a slab of brown rock. Their eyes veered to the right and to their surprise, Fury was standing on the spot, motionless.

'Surprise.' She said wryly then moved so quickly then the others barely had time to register her presence. They heard something smashed and Dense skidded across the ground. He grunted as he picked himself up.

'That's it, I'm not going to go easy on you again.' He shot out. He crouched then the Akatsuki watched in amazement as he started sinking to the ground slowly. Fury's eyebrows contracted and she eyed him warily. Deidara glimpsed fire licking around Fury's legs and jumped as a pillar of flame enveloped her.

Rush sighed and rubbed his forehead. 'Not that move again!' He groaned.

'What move?' Sasori asked. Before Rush could reply, the ground started to shake and rumble. Hidan fell on his rear, wincing in pain. Kakuzu couldn't help a chuckle. Konan shook her head wearily at the both of them as they glared.

Fury frowned and she raised her leg a few inches from the ground. The others waited with bated breath then held on to each other as she brought her foot down. A wave of flames whipped out and started seeping into the ground.

'Ow! What the hell!' They heard Dense crying from somewhere below them. 'Hey, it's no use! My attack will still be usable!'

A grey slab of rock with a dangerous pointy tip plunged out from the ground, centimetres from Fury. She gasped then Dense appeared from the other side and his fist went forward towards Fury. She back-flipped just in time but spirals of rocks came weaving from his sleeve and wrapped themselves around her right hand.

'Let's finish this.' Dense snarled. Fury's body was suddenly engulfed in fire as the rocks pulled at her.

BOOM!

The two of them collided and a burst of grey smoke and rubble surrounded them. The others held their breaths and waited for the smoke to clear as their eyes watered.

'Crap!' Hidan yelled out as he saw two shadowy figures.

Fury and Dense stood opposite each other, centimetres apart. As the fog cleared, the Akatsuki could see each of them holding a kunai to each others' throats. Fury's other hand was on fire and curled into a tight fist. Dense's other hand still had rocks sprouting from his sleeves and they were pushing Fury's flaming hand away.

'Draw!' Whirl called out.

'WHAT?' The Akatsuki shouted except Pain, Konan, Zetsu and Itachi who all looked slightly confused.

Rush stared at them bemusedly. 'Don't be surprised. Even if this fight carries on till the night, it'll still be a draw.' He told them.

Kisame scowled. 'But why do you have bets then?'

Rush shrugged. 'Once in a while, one of them gets lucky and pulls through with a new strategy but that's quite rare. That's the suspense about Fury and Dense's battles, you never know what's going to happen.'

'Damn!' Kakuzu moaned. They watched as Fury and Dense jumped apart and walked back to them.

Fury was rubbing her right wrist as she headed to Kakashi's side. 'That was shorter than I expected.' She muttered, ignoring Deidara's steely glance. 'Ow!' She had touched the exact spot where it hurt the most.

Before Kakashi could react, Sasori was by her side. He took her hand gingerly and examined it. 'That was a pretty strong grip.' He commented. He pressed on her wrist gently then wrapped a bandage around it.

'Oh well.' She shrugged, taking her hand back. 'I hadn't really unleashed my better attacks. Dense was trying too hard, as usual.'

Kakashi smiled his eye-crinkling smile. 'Don't take it like that.' He said. He glanced at Dense who was looking quite happy. 'He's just eager to be on the same level as you.'

Naruto looked confused. 'I thought he already is.'

'Shut up, Naruto.' Sakura said tersely.

'But–'

'Don't fight, the both of you.' Kakashi said warningly. He turned back to Fury, enjoying Deidara's irritated aura when he put a hand around her. 'Hungry?'

Fury nodded and walked into the house. Deidara made to follow them but Tobi held him back. 'Aw, c'mon, Deidara-senpai! Let them have their privacy.'

'Hands off, Tobi!' Deidara snapped at him, shaking the hand of his shoulder. But he turned away from the door reluctantly.


	6. The Wrong Morning

_**A Wrong Morning**_

Deidara woke from his sleep, feeling unusually moody. He hadn't slept well last night and there were shadows under his eyes. He lifted himself from the bed and grabbed a towel. One thing he learnt from staying with a crowd of teenagers his age was that he should grabbed each and every opportunity to use the bathrooms on the landing which some of them shared.

He showered as quickly as he could and walked down the stairs, pulling on his Akatsuki cloak as he went. His stomach growled in agony and he sighed. He located the kitchen quickly and pushed the door, and then he froze.

Fury was standing by the cooker with her back to him. She was fully-dressed. Deidara watched as she scrapped a huge omelet from the frying pan. She placed it on a plate beside the pan and turned around to find a knife.

Her dark eyes met his blue-gray ones and they widened in surprise. 'Oh. Hi, Deidara,' She greeted indifferently. She reached for knife, her eyes fixed on his.

'Hi,' He greeted back and without knowing why, sank firmly onto one of the chairs in the kitchen. She swiveled back and started splitting the omelet in several equal parts. He inhaled deeply. 'Do you always get up this early?'

'Um, yes.' She answered awkwardly. She pushed the plate with the split omelets next to a few more plates that also held the same thing. 'You must be hungry.' She said suddenly after a few moments. As quickly as lightning, she tipped an omelet onto an empty plate and handed it to him with a fork.

'Thanks.' He said quietly. But he had lost his appetite.

'Are you guys going to meet with the Hokage later on?' She asked. _Don't blush, don't blush! _She screamed to herself.

Deidara shook his head, his ponytail swishing. 'No, Leader-sama is. With Konan.'

'Ok.' She said and sat down next to him. She poured herself some tea from the pot in the middle of the table. Deidara watched her take her first sip, her hands shaking slightly. Something told him it wasn't nervousness.

He took her hand as she put down the cup. 'Have you eaten yet?' He asked in concern.

Fury whipped her hand away. 'No, I normally eat with–'

'Eat with me.' Deidara cut through her abruptly. He didn't want to Kakashi's name mentioned this early.

Fury stood up in alarm. 'O…Okay,' She faltered and stabbed an omelet with a fork. She reached out for a plate but Deidara cleared his throat and pushed his towards her. The omelet laid half-eaten on it. Fury's heart sank.

'Deidara,' She murmured softly. 'Finish you breakfast first.'

'No.' He snapped. She gave up and ate her own egg on his plate, her eyes fixed on the Deidara's mutilated breakfast shoved to one side. The tears gathered around her eyes.

'Don't cry.' A softer and more soothing voice said to her. She looked up in surprise at Kakashi who had taken Deidara's place. She looked at the swinging kitchen door. Deidara had left. She threw down her fork in anger and buried her head in her arms.

'Do you want me to leave?' Kakashi asked. She shook her head and wiped the tears from the table.

'I don't want either of you to leave.' She said, sniffing and rubbing her face fiercely.

Kakashi placed a hand on her shoulder. 'You can't have the both of us at the same time.' He said.

'I know.' She turned and Kakashi leaned forward obediently. She rested against his chest and let his hands comfort her. 'I'm sorry.'

~…~…~

Deidara didn't show up with the others when they came down for breakfast. Fury rubbed her sore eyes and let Whirl serve the food.

'Let's go outside.' She said to Kakashi. He looked at her worryingly but closed his book and followed her.

They walked into the forest. Kakashi had his hands around Fury, but his affectionate action did little to comfort her wounds. He did the only thing that would surely cheer her up. He stopped her and kissed her on the lips. When he pulled away, she was smiling.

'Thank you.' She whispered. Kakashi stroked her face lovingly.

'I don't want to see you like this, Fury. It hurts me,' He whispered back then hesitated before continuing. 'And it hurts him too, I bet.'

'I really want to talk to him, Kakashi.' She told him. He stopped stroking and cupped her face with his hand.

'Then talk, I don't mind.'

Fury stared at him for a moment. He smiled and she turned back to the house. 'See you later, Kakashi! I love you!' She waved to him.

Kakashi sighed heavily as she disappeared. It had taken quite a lot for him to say that – she wasn't aware of it but he was angry at her and angry at Deidara for changing who she was. He didn't walk away.

He strolled around the forest grounds until he found the spot, _their _spot. The stretched and broad low branch that looked like bench, it was where they often sit and talk together. He sat down and looked at the house, waiting for Fury.

~…~…~

Deidara packed away his freshly-made clay and settled down on the bed. Tobi was nowhere in sight which was good. He wanted to be alone, to sink in the guilt. Fury's downcast expression swam in his memory. He groaned.

'Deidara?' A soft voice from the other side of the door called out. He jumped, recognizing it. 'Is that you? I…I want to talk.'

Slowly, he composed himself and unlocked the door. Fury was physically taller than him but as he swung the door open, he was taken aback by how shrunken she looked. A pang of sadness and fresh guilt hit him and he pulled her in.

'I'm sorry, for what I said.' He said quickly. She opened her mouth but he cupped her face with his hands. 'And I'm sorry for this.' He pitched forward and kissed her full on the lips. She didn't push him away or defend herself.

Deidara pushed hard on her mouth while his hands hugged her around the waist tightly. This was the moment he wanted, to have Fury all to himself.

'Deidara.' She murmured after a while. 'Let go.'

Reluctantly, he loosened his hold and pulled his face back an inch. He studied her face and was struck by how beautiful she was like this. She stepped back.

She took a deep breath and said what she needed to say. Deidara listened raptly.


	7. Kakashi's Plan

_**Kakashi's Plan**_

Kakashi scanned the same page of his book again and again but he couldn't take anything in. He looked at the house frequently and watched for signs of Fury. She was taking a pretty long time for a talk. She couldn't be having sex right now with Deidara, would she? Kakashi wiped that thought out of his mind, he was being silly.

He closed the book with a snap and sighed. He turned his head briefly to look at the others outside the house, laughing and joking with each other. Then, he saw the swish of auburn. Fury.

As if she could hear his thoughts, her head swiveled and she saw him through the trees. A warm smile spread across her face and she advanced towards him eagerly. He stood up and enveloped her in a hug as she got closer.

'Hi!' She laughed at the unexpected gesture.

'How was it?' He asked, trying to sound concerned.

She shrugged. 'It took a lot of convincing and words but we agreed that we'll just be friends from now on.' Her tone was dull but her eyes were tense.

Kakashi made a noise with his throat and stepped away from her. 'He kissed you, didn't he?' He snapped. Fury's eyebrows pulled together and she nodded numbly. 'And you didn't stop him.'

'No.' She said not softly but in normal, dulcet tones.

'I can't believe this.' Kakashi said angrily. 'After all those times we've been together, you–' He stopped suddenly and composed himself.

Fury took his clenched fist. 'I'm not trying to break us apart. Deidara and I are just friends now, nothing more. That was the last passion we had together, Kakashi. I…I told him that even though he always had something for me, it had always been you and it will always remain that way.' She reeled out, her voice shrill.

Kakashi saw the brief hurt on her face before it cleared. 'Stop. Fury, just stop explaining yourself! You don't understand how I feel!' He burst out.

Fury's expression turned stony. 'You think I don't _know_ you? You're angry with me, angry at Deidara for changing my way and you're jealous.' She said half-furiously.

'You're right. I am jealous but that's because I love you, there's no reason I should not risk that for a mere criminal.' Kakashi cried out. He grabbed her and hugged her tightly. 'I love you and I want all the best to keep this relationship the way I want it.'

Fury's hands wound around him. 'That's how I want it too. Why do you think I've been trying to convince Deidara?'

'I don't want to lose you.' He added shakily.

'Neither do I.' She said then hesitated, wondering if she should say this. 'I told Deidara about the prophecy. He was convinced right then.'

Kakashi was startled. 'Are you sure that was a good idea?'

'Telling him that I needed you to survive was pretty much the only option I had.' She said, shrugging.

Kakashi sighed. He mulled over his own thoughts. Either way Deidara was still making a move for Fury, even though she was with him, there had to be a stronger bond than just a relationship…Suddenly, it hit him. Then he hesitated, he wasn't sure if Fury would agree with this, after all, she was just nineteen.

'Kakashi? Are you alright?' Fury's alarmed voice pierced through and he jumped.

'Fury, can I ask you something?' He said, lowering his tone. She was surprised but nodded. 'What do you think makes a good marriage?'

Fury's confused expression cleared. 'Oh, well, I guess being married is about finding the right person to be with and to stay together forever. A good marriage, well,' She frowned thoughtfully. 'Being with the right person is something complicated but if it can be done, then the couple…' She faltered.

'Go on.' Kakashi urged her.

'…they can always be with each other, no complications, no arguments just plain love.' She finished. 'Why are you asking me this?'

'No reason,' Kakashi replied lightly. 'Are you hungry?'

Fury stared at him suspiciously. Without waiting for an answer, he drew her into the house.

~…~…~

'Fury, do you think I'm the right person for you?' Kakashi asked as Fury cleaned the dishes. It was night and the others had finished dinner, Kakashi joining her in the kitchen as usual.

'Yes, I'm sure.' She admitted, wiping a plate vigorously.

'Forever's a long time.' He sighed.

Fury put the plate on the cleaned pile. 'What's with this anyway?'

Kakashi smiled innocently. 'I just want to know what that brilliant mind of yours is thinking.'

'And I want to know what that genius mind of yours is planning.' She shot out. Kakashi's eye-crinkling smile didn't waver. It seemed to say 'She's so sweet when she's annoyed.'

Just then, the kitchen door swung open and Deidara came in, half-shouting into the living room. 'Alright, alright, I'll get it! Just stop whining!' He yelled then swiveled to face Fury, ignoring Kakashi completely. 'Do you have anything sweet?' He asked grudgingly.

'Check the fridge.' She told him then returned to the dishes.

Deidara rummaged around the fridge and pulled out a chilled box. He opened it and found frozen dangos. 'Great!' He snorted. He poked the frozen dessert and winced as the icy layer pierced his skin.

'I don't think Tobi would mind them.' Fury said.

'Oh please!' He retorted then cringed as Tobi called out.

'Deidara-senpai!'

Deidara growled then snapped the box shut and headed out. Kakashi heard a delighted squeal and glanced at Fury. 'There's something's seriously wrong with that guy.' He commented. Fury just shrugged.

'So,' Kakashi said, determined to steer the conversation back. 'Did you really mean what you said this afternoon?'

'Err…' Fury mulled over this as she stacked the plates on the dish rack. 'Yeah, I guess.'

'Okay then!' Kakashi said happily. He opened his book and started reading in silence. Fury eyed him suspiciously. She had an idea what he was on about but she was sure he wouldn't do something like that.

She finished stacking and wiped her hands. 'When are you heading home?' She asked.

Kakashi looked up from his book and out the window. 'Later, I suppose. When do you want me to leave?' He answered vaguely.

Fury's patience had reached its limit. 'OK, that's it. You're going home!' She half-shouted and hauled a surprised Kakashi out the door. 'Goodbye!' She slammed the door before Kakashi could say anything.

He stared at the door for a moment, bewildered. 'Good night.' He whispered softly then made his way home.


	8. Proposition

_**Proposition**_

'Alright, Naruto, you're already mastering the trick now.' Kakashi said to Naruto who was panting from his training. The blonde grinned and gave a thumbs-up.

'Yup!' He said.

Sakura hurried over to heal his cuts with her Mystical Palm Technique. 'It's getting late. We should go home.' She said while running her hand over Naruto's wounds.

Naruto wiped his face which was sweaty. 'Yeah, but I want to visit the Elementals for a while. Rush is giving me some advice on this new jutsu.'

Kakashi raised his eyebrow. 'Oh, really? No wonder you're pretty quick and understanding.' He mused. Naruto rubbed the back of his head sheepishly and laughed nervously.

'At least, you can meet Fury all you want, Kakashi-sensei,' Sakura giggled. Naruto gave a snort of amused laughter. Kakashi sighed.

~…~…~

Naruto's variation of 'a while' was the entire evening. He was reluctant to go after meeting with Rush who was in a pretty good mood that day and given him loads of information.

Fury was once again, cleaning dishes and Kakashi was reading in the kitchen. He was fidgeting uncontrollably. He was going to do it _today_. He glanced at Fury's back. _Yeah, she's the one alright, _he thought to himself.

He waited patiently for Fury to finish her chores. As the last dish was stacked, he stood up quickly. 'Fury, can I talk to you for a moment?' He began gently, taking her hand. She was surprised but went out the kitchen with him.

They sat down on the bench beside the door.

'What is it, Kakashi?' Fury said curiously.

He inhaled deeply. 'I asked you yesterday about being together and you answered. I wanted to make sure you wanted the same thing as me. It turns out you're just as I who I want to be with the rest of my life.' He started quietly.

Fury didn't say anything. He continued, 'I hadn't really thought about this until how I saw Deidara treated you. I know you'll never go on my back but I have to do something to–'

'Kakashi,' She cut in suddenly. 'Can you get to the point?'

He released a huge gust of air then slid off the bench and got down on one knee on the ground. Fury's jaw dropped slightly. He took her trembling hand and looked straight at her.

'Fury of Fire, will you marry me?'

His words hit Fury and stunned her. Marry? Of all the things in her life, marriage was not on the list.

'You don't have to answer straightaway.' He said softly.

She dropped her gaze and stared at her lap. Images of the times Kakashi and her had spent together flashed through her mind. She remembered the first time they kissed, hug and talked. Love at first sight, she always believed that's what they had. An image of Kakashi lying on an icy cover, blood all over him shocked her as it had during the real scene. She had died to save him and he had saved her with his love when the Death Angels had denied her request to live again.

She lifted her head, met Kakashi's gaze again and smiled. 'Yes.' She said rather hoarsely.

A broad grin spread all over Kakashi's face and Fury could almost see it through the mask. He got up and Fury followed, throwing her arms around him. He hugged back happily.

'Congratulations.' A sly voice said from beside them.

They both looked up and saw Deidara smirking at them. Fury's heart skipped. 'You heard?'

He nodded then turned his attention to Kakashi. 'She told me about the prophecy. Just promise me you'll take care of her because if you don't, you'll be sorry!' He glared at Kakashi.

Kakashi arranged his expression. 'I promise. Anyway, I would never bear to see her dead.' He glanced at Fury. Deidara turned to her now and gave her a brief hug.

'Do you want me to break the news to the others or you want to do it instead?' He asked, grinning.

Fury groaned. 'You do it. They'll overreact and I don't want to see it.' She said. Deidara's grin stretched and he strode back into the house.

Fury blew upwards and her fringe swayed slightly. Kakashi ran his fingers through the right parted side. He pulled off his mask and leaned in. Fury closed her eyes and their lips met. This was the one kiss Fury would like to remember forever. Their proposal kiss.

Kakashi pulled apart until their noses touched. 'I love you so much, Fury.' He murmured, gripping at her hips. She grinned as he pressed his lips on the spot beside her nose. Suddenly, he jumped back, pushing his mask up.

Fury's arm was frozen in midair. The door crashed open and the Elementals, Naruto, Sakura and joined by the Akatsuki tumbled out, their jaws slack. Fury instinctively moved to Kakashi's side. The mixed words of congratulations spluttered from the others' mouths.

Whirl stepped forward eagerly. 'Can we do the honour of planning the wedding? It would be great!' She cried, hugging her best friend.

'Er…'

'Yes, of course.' Kakashi answered smoothly. 'The actual wedding, remember, Fury?' He grinned as her face turned ashen. The others stopped talking and stared at in surprise.

'Oh God! I have to wear a dress! A dress!' She groaned, clutching her head which was wheeling. Kakashi and the others burst out laughing at her reaction. Kakashi put a hand around her shoulders, his eye crinkling down at her.

'That's my Fury.' He said quietly in a bemused way. Fury buried her head in his chest, her face flushing wildly.


	9. Fury's Tale

_**Fury's Tale**_

Life was getting steadily hectic for the shinobi in Konoha when the Hokage set out the orders for preparations for the invasion. It had to be all done in secret so Orochimaru won't be able to suspect their doings.

The Elementals' schedules were also filling up. Fury and Kakashi barely had time to talk let alone coming up plans for their wedding-to-be. Whirl and the some of the girls had assured Fury that they had that under control but Fury only half-believed them. Whirl hadn't met up with Genma, who was put on surveillance duty, for days.

Fury and Kakashi had talked once but it was short. They were in the kitchen, eating dinner.

'Do you have any free time in your schedule? Any at all?' Fury had asked him.

'I dunno.' Kakashi replied, shrugging. 'The Hokage's fills up the days.'

Fury cut her meat slowly. 'Well, I have this Saturday free, the afternoon that is, I'm doing some research in the morning. I want to tell you something important. Do you think you could be free?'

Kakashi swallowed his food and gave his signature eye-crinkling smile. 'I'll try to fix something up to clear for that afternoon.' He said. Fury's appetite returned and she ate her meal happily. Kakashi grinned at her.

~…~…~

Kakashi listened patiently as the Hokage explained his latest mission to him. It was a C-ranked one and Kakashi was already bored to tears. He badly wanted to talk to Fury, hear her laugh and see her smile. He sighed to himself.

'…got that?' The Fifth Hokage's voice cut through his mind. He reeled back to earth.

'Yep.' He answered dully, taking the sheaf of papers.

Shizune seemed to have studied him ever since he came in. She turned to the Hokage and murmured something. Kakashi flicked at the papers, studying them half-heartedly.

As Shizune leaned away, Tsunade cleared her throat. 'By the way, congratulations on your proposal to Fury,' She said, smiling a little.

'Oh, right, thanks.' He couldn't think of anything else to say. It was then he remembered the conversation he had with Fury. 'How many days does this mission take?' He asked quickly.

Tsunade's eyebrow rose. 'One day at the most probably, it's only C-ranked.' She replied.

'Yeah only,' Kakashi muttered to himself, remembering Team 7's first ever C-ranked mission had turned into a mass murdering scene. 'I just want to make sure that I have this Saturday cleared up.'

'For Fury?' Shizune filled in for him, grinning. Kakashi's visible patch of skin was tinted pink. He scratched the back of his head awkwardly. Tsunade sighed and leaned her forehead against her clasped hands.

'If you hurry, you can get your break.' She said snappishly. Kakashi nodded and hurried out of the room.

~…~…~

The guards of the front gates started when they heard quick footsteps. They saw Kakashi half-running through the gates and felt taken aback. Throughout the times they saw Kakashi coming back from missions, they never seen him in a rush.

Kakashi flashed a greeting at them and hurried on to his apartment. He unpacked quickly and grabbed the report of his mission. He didn't bother to check the time – he knew he was late. The fastest way was to deliver the report quickly to the Hokage and find Fury.

Tsunade and Jiraiya were having a serious conversation together about Orochimaru when Kakashi came bursting in. They turned in surprise as he handed the report to Tsunade. Before she could snap at him, he was gone. Jiraiya raised an eyebrow in suspicion.

'Fury can be a really good magnet when she wants.' Tsunade said to him, opening the report, reading Kakashi's scribbles. Jiraiya perked up thoughtfully.

'I thought so.' He nodded and stared at the writing on the paper. 'What is that?'

~…~…~

Kakashi went to the Power House first but Rush told him that Fury was at the library doing her research. He doubled back into the village, feeling frustrated. It was already the middle of the day, Fury only had the afternoon off. What if she was sent away on a mission and told Rush to lie to him?

Thankfully, he found her reading in the library and taking notes. He sat down beside her, out of breath. Fury swiveled around and her face lit up in delight. 'You came!' She gasped happily, throwing her hands around him.

Kakashi patted her back in relief. He had really looked forward to her reaction. 'What are still doing here?' He asked, looking at the opened books and scattered papers. Fury pulled away from him and tucked a loose strand of her auburn hair behind her ear.

'Working on some thing for our new jutsu.' She answered, crossing out a word and rewriting it on top.

'Our?'

Fury smiled. 'Rush and I thought that the forty-four of us could combine our abilities and create something powerful enough to take down Orochimaru.' She explained. She closed the book she was currently referring to and flipped open another one. 'I'm doing some research on my fire-based abilities. Each of us needs to do a part of our self-abilities.'

'Oh.' Kakashi suddenly felt he was intruding in something deathly important.

Fury laughed lightly. 'Don't worry, I'm almost done.' She mused, kissing his cheek hastily. He moved closer to her.

'You can always ask me to help you. I'm not a prodigy for nothing,' He said, breathing down on her. The smile on her face got wider and warmer. She nodded her thanks and started asking him her questions.

It was almost dusk when they finished. Kakashi helped her carry some of the notes and they made their way back to the house. Fury dragged him out of the house and into a part of the forest he didn't recognize.

Suddenly, they were out of the forest and on a low hilltop, looking over at a flowing river and the sunset.

Fury pulled him down on the grassy foot of the hill and they watched the blue and pink skies surrounding the setting sun.

'You know, Kakashi, it's been years since we've been together and you haven't questioned me about my past.' She said suddenly, breaking the romantic silence. Kakashi was surprised but he hid it.

'You never brought it up, I just thought it was something you aren't comfortable talking about.' He said quietly.

Fury raised a single eyebrow. 'You mean Rush told you to shut up about it?' She suggested.

'Pretty much.' He admitted and she gave a short laugh.

Then, she turned much more serious and her tone was firmer. 'Ok, I'm telling you this because I want to get it off my chest. So don't…' She stopped, struggling for a suitable way to place her sentence. '…ever bring it up again.'

Kakashi took her hand into his, enjoying the warmth. 'Right.'

She took a deep breath then began. 'My childhood's a bit blur but I know it's a happy one. But since I turned twelve, the economy and education in my country turned from bad to worse. My mother worked hard to raise the money for my brother and me. She even worked overnight at most times. She was great,' A lump of bile suddenly formed in her throat.

Kakashi squeezed her hand. 'And your dad?'

'My dad was…difficult. He had an uneven temper and dangerous mood swings. He spent a lot of the money my mom made on useless junk which he threw around the house after a while. My mom knew of his strange moods so she didn't dare to argue with him.

'But as the years went on, the economy processed badly. Prices went up, a lot of stupid laws were to ban uncertain and small things. My mother worked twice as hard while my dad splurged more on useless crap.' She stopped for a moment, taking breaths. Her nostrils were flaring literally and her eyes were hard.

'Then he started to yell at us from time to time without reason why. He even threw stuff at us if we remained silent. But we daren't scream back because he was more than likely to throw us out of the house. Everything changed then.

'I couldn't do my school work without him shouting at it. He suspected my mother was having affairs because of her late-night returns but of course she wasn't. She had a lot of work to do.' Fury gasped out, the tears streaming down her face. Kakashi reached out and wound his arms around her. She jerked away.

He sighed. 'At least let me comfort you.' He insisted.

'Let me finish first.' She waved his words away. 'My dad started on my mom first. He would wait until my brother and I were in bed then scream at her. It was horrible but we were too scared to leave or run away. After a while, he started hitting me because my brother was doing badly in his schoolwork. I was the oldest so he blamed me for not watching my brother more carefully.

'He hit you?' Kakashi squeezed her hand tighter, anger bubbling inside of him.

Fury answered him with a stifled sob. 'Rush and Whirl knows all of this. The others have an idea about it too since they've met my dad a few times. We built that transporting thing that brought us here. It was Rush's idea, he wanted me to steer clear of my dad.' She smiled faintly. 'I was grateful for him after he told me.'

'He really did like you.' Kakashi said quietly. 'If he cared about you this much.'

Fury rubbed her face clean. 'Actually, it wasn't the hitting that made him mad. Don't overreact,' She gave Kakashi a swift glance. 'He threw me out of the house.'

'WHAT?' His carefully-controlled anger broke through and he turned stiff. His eye flashed furiously and it was like a cloud had set over it. Fury cupped his face in her hands.

'Calm down.'

Kakashi grabbed at her wrists. 'How can I calm down after that? He had no right to throw you out.' He spat out.

Fury released her hands from his grip and clasped them tightly in her lap. She stared at the grass. 'Rush was heading over to talk to me and he saw me on the ground, struggling to get up. He took me in and his parents gladly accepted my presence. They've met my dad, they know my troubles.'

'And your mom didn't come looking for you?'

'She did but she had to do it in secret and without my brother because my dad was supervising him closely.' Fury replied. 'Anyway, I'm telling you this in a way to explain Rush's protective feeling towards him when we first arrived here.'

'He doesn't seem protective anymore.' Kakashi pointed out, a little scathingly.

Fury smiled and turned away from her lap to look at him. 'That's because he's got someone doing the job for him now.' She said. Kakashi smiled widely behind his mask which Fury could almost see.

'It's strange to see you angry like that.' She said. 'This isn't the first misery business you've ever heard.'

He sighed. 'Believe me, it stings a lot more if it happened to the person you love the most.' He said.

Fury grinned and ran her fingers through her dangling fringe. 'That's flattering and touching at the same time.' She said, leaning in to rest her head on his shoulder. He cupped her face quickly and moved her head so she was looking at him.

Fury was taken aback at this. He wasn't aware of her expression but he was studying her eyes avidly. Behind those black, happiness-filled eyes were contained sadness that he couldn't see. He exhaled sharply and stroked her cheek with his thumb.

'Kakashi?'

He started. 'Huh? What is it?'

Fury frowned. 'Don't let this bother you.' She was talking more to herself than him. 'Like I said, don't ever bring it up again.'

Kakashi wrapped an arm around her and kissed the top of her head. 'Let's seal that promise.' He murmured, pulling down his mask. Fury closed her eyes and moved her head forwards, her movements in sync with Kakashi. His hands, which were cupping her face, tightened their hold. She put a hand on his jaw.

He made sure to concentrate on her lips, clamping down hard as if he could squeeze the miserable past of hers from them. Fury knew what he was doing but responded without hesitation. He pushed at her and her back hit the grassy ground.

Kakashi's hands were on each side of her head and his body on top of her. Fury paused slightly and her head flinched. But Kakashi kept capturing her lips in his over and over.

'Stop it.' She groaned, pushing him off.

He grabbed her shoulders to make her stay down. 'We're engaged. These things should change.' He whispered urgently.

'Not until we're married, the hell they should.' She said angrily, trying to wriggle out of his grip. He shushed her and kissed her neck and jaw hungrily. She moaned and used all her energy to shove him off.

She sat up quickly and got to her feet.

'Fury!' He reached out and seized her hand before she could walk away. 'I'm sorry!'

'Let's go back and forget that ever happened. And erase my past from your memory.' She said in a weary voice.

'That last part won't be easy but if that's what you want,' He laughed and dodged her punch. Hand in hand, they walked back into the forest.

* * *

**This chapter's a bit long but it's has the missing pieces of my OC's past which is important. This story is mostly about exploring relationships. Pls R&R! X)**


	10. Spies for Interrogation

_**Spies for Interrogation**_

Kakashi swung open the kitchen and, to his relief and annoyance, found Fury talking to Rush and Deidara. She looked up from the conversation and raised her eyebrows.

'Hi, the Hokage just called the four of us for another duty.' He said.

Fury jumped up from her chair. 'Right.' She said for the others. They hurried out of the door and into the forest. They didn't walk but leaped from tree to tree. Tsunade was in a foul mood these days and they didn't want to keep her waiting.

'Why did she call for you anyway?' Rush asked out loud to Deidara who shrugged.

Kakashi looked over his shoulder. 'She's been calling some of the Akatsuki members to help out with the village shinobi. She wanted the Akatsuki to cooperate as much in the process of preparing for the invasion.' He explained.

'Oh yeah, I saw Hidan with Center the other day.' Fury suddenly recalled. 'I bet they were discussing their mission.'

'More like surveillance duty.' Kakashi corrected her. 'Orochimaru would have planted some spies around the village border by now.'

Deidara grinned. 'Lovely, I haven't been able to use my art these few weeks.' He said, looking at his hand.

Fury let out an exasperated growl. 'Can the grin, Deidara.' She said to him. His grin changed into a smirk. Rush rolled his eyes at Kakashi who remained expressionless with difficulty.

~…~…~

Tsunade slapped a report on her desk and said snappishly to the four, 'Ok, I have an assignment for you.' She clasped her hands together in front of her face. 'I'll divide you into pairs and you'll go around each side of the village's border, checking for spies.'

Rush raised an eyebrow. Kakashi was right, as usual.

'Kakashi, Rush, you'll go round the east side while you two,' She turned her head towards Fury and Deidara. 'will take the west side. You need to go at the same time and speed so that if the other pair doesn't show up, you'll know they're in trouble. Got it? Dismiss!' She barked.

The four of them filed out hastily. They headed for the front gates of the village.

'Wonder why she didn't put you two together?' Rush said without indication but the others knew who he was talking about.

'You wonder too much.' Fury said curtly. 'She wants us to concentrate on surveying not go on a date.'

Deidara grinned and looked at the sky. 'Looks like it's my lucky day.' He said.

'Shut up.'

Kakashi put his hand of Fury's shoulder. 'Be careful.' He said, his expression serious. Fury nodded and replied, 'You too.'

They separated into their pairs and headed towards opposite directions.

_**Rush and Kakashi POV**_

'Fury told me about her past,' Kakashi said, starting the conversation first.

Rush's eyebrow twitched. 'I knew it would come to that. She would have to explain it all to you.' He said.

'She told me never to bring it up again.'

'Typical Fury.' Rush grinned. 'She knows it's your best intention to never hurt her. What was your reaction anyway?'

Kakashi glanced at the thick gorge of bushes beside him, a few feet away. He didn't detect any movement. Reluctantly, he turned back to Rush. 'I was furious, especially at the part where her father threw her out.' He answered quietly.

Rush sighed heavily. 'I have a good mind to go back and give that person a piece of my mind but I'm not that kind of person.' He grinned at Kakashi who smiled at little. It was hard to imagine Rush getting aggressive. It was like his element, air, he remained clam and forgiving.

'Hey, Rush, this is going to be a personal question. Are you up for it?' Kakashi asked hesitantly. Rush pondered for a moment then nodded. 'Do you feel annoyed at Deidara when he showed up and got along unexceptionally well?'

Rush chuckled. 'Funny, it's like you're saying what you're feeling but instead you're directing at me.' He said. Kakashi's skin tinted pink and he gave a slight cough. 'Alright, I did feel something. I was impressed at Fury. It's hard to envy how she managed to keep the both of you away from fighting over her. It's like you and Deidara are in sync of how she would feel if you guys fight.'

'Wow, I never thought you had such deep knowledge and resistance in you, Rush.' Kakashi complimented. Rush laughed good-naturedly.

'Resistance is nothing to me. I have plenty of practice wile you and Fury are in a relationship, it gets old after a while.'

'Thanks.' Kakashi said suddenly. 'For helping Fury when she was in need.'

'No problem.' The air elemental answered. 'I loved Fury that time as much as you do now.' His last words caught Kakashi off guard. He was taken aback at Rush's opened confession. Maybe Rush hadn't given up entirely on Fury after all.

_**Fury and Deidara POV**_

'Everything seems fine around here.' Deidara stated.

'That's what they want you to think.' Fury said.

Deidara eyed her warily. 'Why are you so mad? I promised not to flirt anymore.' He said.

She allowed her eyes to soften for a moment. 'I know you tried but could we just keep it as NORMAL friends. I'm engaged.' She replied.

Deidara scowled and scanned the thick trees and bushes. His speed lessened. Fury scowled at him over her shoulder but kept on walking. 'Hurry up, Deidara! If we don't make it to the end, the other two will think something happened.' She called.

He turned to face her suddenly, his face taut and he ran to catch up with her. 'Something's not right. The forest border is too quiet. There're normally birds screeching or animals running along the ground, but I hear absolutely nothing.' He muttered hastily.

Fury listened for a moment and he was right, not a single chirp. She looked down at her left palm. Deidara followed her gaze then stared in surprise when he saw small flames gathering on her fingertips. She motioned at him to be quiet then gently wriggled her fingers.

The flames peeled away from her fingertips and dropped to the ground where it was nearly invisible. Deidara watched from the corner of his eye as they slithered into the bushes.

'What are you doing?' He whispered.

She dusted her hands. 'Sensing heat. If there's someone in the bushes, my fire will pick up their temperature and stick to them.' She said. 'Then they'll engulf that person in fire which doesn't actually burn.'

'They'll come screaming from their hideout after that.' Deidara said, unable to stop a grin from escaping.

Fury grinned back. 'Exactly.'

Sure enough, a few seconds later, there was a loud terrified scream. Fury turned and pounced at their spy before Deidara registered what had happened. Quick as lightning, he flicked out his hand and his clay bomb landed on the spy before he could attack Fury back.

'Arrgh!'

The bomb exploded and the spy was enveloped behind the smoke with Fury pinning him down. Deidara waited for the smoke to clear then stepped forward. He almost reached her when something zipped from a tree, missing him by millimetres and stopping him in his tracks.

His pursuer jumped out and clashed with him clumsily. Fury sighed in relief when there was a poof and the blonde was replaced by a log.

'Don't move.' Deidara snarled from behind his pursuer, a long kunai at his throat. He caught Fury's eye and winked. She smiled then tugged at her catch of the day.

'Did Orochimaru send you?' She snapped at him. The man glared at her but didn't answer. She scowled. 'Looks like we have to bring you for interrogation. Deidara?'

'This too.' He twitched his kunai, bringing it closer to the man's throat.

Just then, they heard quick footsteps and saw Rush and Kakashi heading towards them. Rush pursed his lips when he saw the captives and reached out. Deidara felt a swish of air, disturbing his cloak.

'You two can let go of them now.'

Warily, Deidara stepped away. To his surprise, he saw the man's hands held together behind his back by some sort of force. He suddenly understood what the swish of air was. He swiveled to see the man who was attacked by Fury in the same posture.

'Nice job, we'll be hearing some news now.' Kakashi said, picking up the men easily and dragging them. Deidara controlled the urge to roll his eye. _Show off_, he thought irritably. He returned to Fury's side.

'Your flames didn't pick up the man hidden in the tree.' He said accusingly.

She grinned. 'Oh, it picked it up alright but that one wasn't for burning. It drained his energy.' She replied.

Deidara suddenly remembered the way the man had smashed into him as if that wasn't his intended action at all. His mouth stretched widely into a smirk. 'You're real manipulative, Fury.' He commented. She laughed, unaware of Kakashi's annoyance.

Rush laughed along with her. 'Yeah, that's her personality. Charming but evil from the core.' Instead of receiving a smack, he got Fury's appreciative grin.

'I know what you mean.' Kakashi said, speaking directly for the first time. Fury threw back her head and laughed.

'Boy, am I glad I have the three of you to keep me laughing!' She said.

Kakashi, Rush and Deidara fell silent. She didn't seem to notice that her three lovers were dying from her words.

* * *

**Many thanks to Yuti-chan for being a loyal fan from the start! ^^**


	11. The Hokage's Permission

_**The Hokage's Permission**_

'Good job.' Tsunade praised as they walked in through door, Kakashi trudged to her desk, dropping the spies. She came around her desk and studied them.

'Genma!' She barked. He appeared in a blur beside her in a squatting position. 'Bring them to Ibiki. Don't kill them though,' She ordered.

Genma took hold of the two spies. 'Hai!' He said then turned briefly to Kakashi. 'Congratulations, by the way. I'll be looking forward to the ceremony.' In a flash, he disappeared behind a puff of smoke.

Tsunade sat down on her chair again. 'Speaking of ceremony, when's the big day?' She asked.

Fury exchanged a glance with Kakashi. 'Err, we haven't set a date yet. There's too much going on at the moment.' She said.

To their surprise, Tsunade smiled. 'That won't be a problem. I'll see if we can clear a day's schedule for the wedding. I'll let you know and you can start preparing.' She said. 'It's been a long time since we've attended a proper wedding, right, Shizune?' She turned to her assistant who jumped and nodded vigorously.

'Thank you.' Kakashi said in a dull voice. Then they left.

They reached the exit. Rush tapped Fury on the shoulder. 'C'mon, the others need their lunch.' He said to her. She looked at Kakashi who didn't meet her eyes then obeyed Rush reluctantly. Deidara followed close by.

'Kakashi?' Rush asked, stopping suddenly. The jounin pondered for a while then followed, planting himself beside Deidara, not Fury, Deidara noticed.

They walked towards the heart of the forest. The silence was eating at them. Deidara was feeling incredibly annoyed by this, he was too used to noise. He sped up to Fury's side. Her face flushed with relief.

'Got any more tracking tricks you'd like me to know?' He asked, grinning.

'Not really. There are a lot of things you don't know about me.' She replied.

'Yet.' Kakashi suddenly cut in. He grabbed Fury's hand and held on, intertwining his fingers with hers.

Deidara closed his eye approvingly. 'Looks like my work here is done.' He said and started talking to Rush loudly. Rush caught the hint and spoke back in loud tone too.

Fury stared at their clasped hands. 'What are you so mad about?' She asked.

'Tell you later,' was his answer. Irritated, she tried to wriggle her hands away but his grip was tight. She gave up and leaned against his toned arm. He sighed to himself, enjoying the warmth and weight of her head.

When they reached the house, Rush pulled away from Deidara to tell Whirl about this morning's events. Deidara grinned at Fury and followed him. She led Kakashi to the bench where he had proposed.

'OK, spill it, Kakashi.' She said, plopping down on the seat.

He sat down closely to her and swung an arm around her shoulders. Then he smiled. 'You know what? Let's forget about that.' He said. Fury groaned and she slapped a hand to her forehead.

'Fine!' She snapped. 'I don't want to pressure myself anyway. I'm hungry, d'you want anything?'

'An apple's fine.' He answered.

She went in and came back with two apples in her hand. She tossed one to Kakashi then bit into hers.

'You're eating fruit?' He asked, grinning and twirling the apple around in his hand. She licked the juice from her lips and pecked him on the cheek.

'Don't piss me off, OK?'

His eyebrow arched and he pulled down his mask to eat his apple in silence. 'I pissed you off? That's new.'

'Pre-wedding stress.' She replied without hesitation.

He nearly choked on a chunk of apple. Stress? Fury? He wanted to laugh and at the same time felt concerned. Fury never stresses, she lived through life like it was water. That's the attitude the Elementals had. He finished his apple distractedly.

'Naruto!' She hissed suddenly, nudging him. Quick as lightning, Kakashi replaced his mask.

Naruto's spiky blond hair came into view. 'Hi. Kakashi-sensei, I need you for my training now.' He said. Kakashi stood up half-reluctantly and planted a soft kiss on Fury's head. She waved a goodbye to him then picked up the apple core he had left behind.

'I'll do that.' A quiet voice said to her. She looked up and locked eyes with Itachi's Sharingan. He picked up the cores and went into the kitchen to throw them away. Fury waited for him, knowing he wanted to talk.


	12. Itachi Medicine

_**Itachi Medicine**_

'How's the disease coming?' Fury asked as soon as Itachi settled down beside her. He blinked in surprise and she smiled. 'I know things.'

He closed his eyes wearily. 'Not good. How's the wedding plans coming?' He said.

'Not sure.' She answered then sighed. 'I'm only nineteen, a wedding's big news.'

Itachi stared into the thick forest. 'Why not wait until you're in your twenties?'

'I don't think Kakashi could handle much more of Deidara.' She said matter-of-factly. Itachi couldn't help but smile in amusement. Fury was probably one of the few who could make him smile. That was one of the things Itachi liked her.

'You're the same age as Deidara.' He said, mulling over this. 'When's your birthday?'

Fury folded her arms comfortably. '9th of June.'

There was a momentary silence. Fury glanced at Itachi and found him looking at her with utmost astonishment. 'That's my birthday too.'

'You're kidding.' Fury said in an incredulous tone. She was starting to feel rejoiced. 'So you're a Gemini too?'

Itachi grunted to show his answer. Fury started to laugh at the clichéd coincidence. Itachi smiled widely for the first time. 'I don't know what it is about you but I get surprised continuously by everything you say.' He said.

She chuckled lightly. 'Thanks, Itachi. I'm kind of relieved that you actually bothered to speak to me. You only talk with important people.'

He blinked again. 'You're important too. To everyone here. And you're the only one who knows Iyarashi's weakness and used it against him. I'm really impressed.'

Fury stiffened. 'I rather not talk about that day's events. Dying and reviving twice isn't pretty business.' She said, anger around her voice. 'And I had help in the fight.'

Itachi sat back on the bench, staring at the sky this time. 'I'm sorry. Seeing the person you care about being hurt is harsh, I know how you feel.' He said quietly.

She exhaled sharply and smiled at him. 'Thanks, Itachi,' She said to him.

'You're welcome, Fury. Anything to make you feel better.'

'I wish I could do the same for you.' Her voice was barely audible. She was stepping on a mine here.

Itachi lowered his head and closed his eyes. 'My brother will be in the war. I'd like to be there to see him in action.'

'Take care, the girls will be devastated if you die.' She advised him. Once again, she made him smile. 'By the way, you know you can always get Sakura to help you with your disease instead of living on drugs.'

He sighed. 'No thanks, I don't think Sakura will take to me after what I'd done to Sasuke. Anyway, I prefer to live my life as it is.' He said. Fury pursed her lips but didn't say anything. He continued briskly. 'Thank you for the suggestion anyway.'

She unfolded her arms and pushed her dangling fringes back over her head. It flopped back down again, ruffled. 'If I ever feel down, I'd know who to go to.' She stated then without hesitating, put a hand on Itachi's shoulder.

For anyone, that was reaching a danger zone. But Itachi felt assured at her touch; he hadn't felt like that for a long time. 'Me too. You're good medicine for a wrecked soul.'

Fury grinned and stood up. 'It's twilight. I need to make dinner.' She said then looked at Itachi. 'Is there anything you like?' She asked.

Itachi shook his head. That was the end of their conversation, Fury took the hint. She strode into the kitchen. A few minutes later, Itachi could hear chopping and sizzling sounds. He put a hand on chest and felt the pain coming again. He slipped a hand inside his cloak and reached for his medication in his pants pocket.


	13. Whirl Nightmare

_**Whirl Nightmare**_

'Chocolate or vanilla?' Whirl asked, pushing a small piece of cake with brown and yellowish frosting on it. Fury sighed and tasted it.

Tsunade had given Fury the date of her wedding and Whirl had taken it to heart and started preparing everything for the wedding already. From the decorations to the seating arrangements, nothing was missed.

'Vanilla.' She answered dully. Whirl nodded and wrote it down on the clipboard she was holding. She finished and started to ask another question but Fury cut across her quickly. 'Whirl, let's take a break. You can sort out the details later.'

Her friend nodded half-reluctantly. Fury rose from the armchair and fled from the lounge as quick as she could. Fortunately, there was a surprise waiting for her.

'Hi.' Kakashi said from the bench outside the house, his eye-crinkling smile greeting her.

Fury relaxed and sat down beside him. 'Kakashi, it's a total nightmare.' She blurted out, sliding her hand through the crook of his arm. Her head lolled tiredly against him. He grinned.

'It pays to be a happy bride, Fury.' He said. His other hand reached out and brushed against her face. She sighed peacefully. 'You'll be completely in bliss once you walked down the aisle and see the perfect decorations.'

'I guess so. But it's still embarrassing to wear a dress that shows off most of my skin,' She shuddered.

Kakashi laughed. 'Don't be stupid, you'll be the envy of your friends and the belle of the ball.' He added amusingly. His fingers dwindled around a strand of her hair.

Suddenly, she sat up straighter and removed her hand from Kakashi's arm. 'Speaking of friends, Ice had the idea of inviting all of our school mates we know to the wedding.' She groaned, rubbing her eyes. 'Rush agreed to open up the portal and bring them here. They're going to flip when they see–' She stopped abruptly.

'See what?' Kakashi asked curiously.

She grinded her teeth and replied, 'The aggressive girl getting married.'

Kakashi laughed again and Fury slapped his arm angrily. She was about to snap something at him when he cupped her face with his hands suddenly. She gasped in surprise and found the sound blocked by Kakashi's mouth. He massaged her lips slowly with his. She got steadily hotter and wound her arms weakly around him.

Finally, he pulled away and smirked, pushing his mask back. 'Sorry about that.'

'About what?' She gasped for air. 'The cruel laugh or the hot kiss?'

He shook his head amusedly and tipped her chin up with his fingers. 'Let's just say, it's a way of putting the expression 'put a sock in it' in a passionate way.' He said, the smirk still visible through his tone.

'You gonna have to stop acting like that once the others come here.' She said through gritted teeth. 'They can be really insulting when they want.' Her advice went cold when Kakashi tilted his head in a 'oh yeah?' manner.

'Fury!'

Kakashi jumped and turned to arrange his posture as Whirl came bursting out. Fury sighed inwardly and smiled at her brown-haired friend. 'That was a short break.'

The chocolate-brown eyes rolled. 'This is an important issue. It's about your wedding dress,' She fumbled with the clipboard and shoved two pieces of fabric into Fury's hands. 'Silk or velvet?'

Fury raised an eyebrow. 'What do you think, Kakashi?' She asked the rigid jounin. He shrugged uselessly. She gave him an exasperated look. 'Velvet, no pearls or sequins if you're wondering.' She said. Whirl scribbled and ticked something on the pad of paper then left the couple alone.

'Did you want me to answer that?' Kakashi said.

Fury wished she could throw something at him. 'Yes! After all, you'll be the one ripping it off me.' She said so overly exasperated that the last comment slipped out accidentally. She clapped a hand over her mouth while Kakashi stared at her, the amused expression back on. She cleared her throat.

'Forget what I said.'

'Yeah, right.'

'KAKASHI!'

'I'll forget, now go back for your oral questionnaire.' He told her, getting up and planting a masked kiss on her cheek. 'Naruto's making progress with his training.' He held out a hand to help her up.

Fury smiled and accepted it. 'Tell him good luck.' She said. His eye crinkled down her and he disappeared in a puff of smoke. She grasped at thin air where his hand had been seconds ago.

'Heartbreaking, huh?' Deidara's snide voice said. She spun around and saw him dragging a thick and long flower border, which she guessed was one of the decorations.

'Do you want help?' She offered, ignoring his comment. He shook his head and swung it over the low steps of the porch. He shot a grin at her.

'I'm going to look forward to meeting your other friends.' He said, climbing up the low steps. 'I heard they're crazy.'

Fury folded her arms comfortably and followed him into the house. 'They are, they can spread gossip within seconds so don't get too chummy with me. Kakashi will hunt you down.' She advised casually.

Deidara snickered. 'He's not stupid to believe gossip. Though,' He paused, looking happy. 'it's not strange to hook up with the Auburn Goddess.'

'The what?'

Deidara glanced at her hair. 'Auburn hair, beautiful face, you're an Auburn Goddess.' He said, his face tinted pink even though his grin didn't waver. Fury felt herself blushing too.

'It's not a natural auburn, only a few shades redder, but thanks anyway.' She said, fingering her fringe, her cheeks getting almost as red as it.

Deidara opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted by Whirl's voice which Fury was finding quite annoying.

'FURY! I need you now!' She hollered.

Fury exhaled sharply. 'Gotta go, the wedding planner awaits.' She waved at Deidara reluctantly and hurried away.

Deidara watched her disappear into the kitchen. 'Kakashi's lucky to have you.' He muttered.


	14. Fury's Embarrassment

_**Fury's Embarrassment**_

Naruto, Sakura, Sai, Yamato and Kakashi dug into the delicious Ichiraku ramen. Kakashi finished his in his usual unseen speed. He read through his book while waiting for the others. Naruto was halfway through his second bowl when two unexpected customers walked in.

'Shut up for once, alright?' Deidara's ponytail bobbed in followed with Tobi's orange mask poking from beside him. Kakashi narrowed his eyes and so did the others. Deidara didn't seem to notice them, he made his orders quickly. 'Nine takeaway beef ramen.'

'Konan-san's a vegetarian.' Tobi squeaked beside the blonde.

'Make that eight beef ramen and one vegetable ramen.' Deidara said without missing a beat. Ayame wrote down the orders carefully.

Naruto was the first to speak. 'What are you guys doing here?'

Deidara and Tobi turned in surprise. 'Fury's…' Deidara hesitated and searched for the right word. 'school mates are coming over in a few moments and she can't cook because they're going out for a dinner celebration.'

'Heehee.' Tobi giggled suddenly. Deidara glared at him poisonously and he stopped.

'Since the Akatsuki aren't included, we get to have our own dinner outside.' Deidara continued.

Sakura frowned. 'Her friends are coming today?'

'School mates.' Deidara corrected her. 'A few came in early today and I suggest you stay clear of them. Their insults hurt,'

'Bad.' Tobi whispered loudly.

'I'm going to see Fury.' Kakashi said suddenly. He disappeared before anyone could react.

Sakura sighed. 'Kakashi-sensei's an idiot.'

'Tell me about it,' Naruto said angrily. 'He forgot he was treating!'

~…~…~

Kakashi registered the first thing he heard with annoyance. The giggles and endless whispers that were directed at him as he passed a group of nineteen-year-olds he didn't recognize. He quickened his pace and went into the kitchen where he hoped Fury would be.

'Kakashi?' Fury looked up from the kitchen table where she was surrounded by a group of unknown people. His blood turned cold. The talking paused then bubbled up as Fury's friends realized who he was.

'You're Fury's fiancée?' A girl with a short and rough haircut asked, looking as if she wanted to giggle any moment. Kakashi nodded numbly and saw Fury froze.

'Stop it!'

A short and plump-looking boy scoffed at her. 'What? Afraid your Kakashi will–' He didn't finish his sentence because he was suddenly on fire. He yelled in fright. The others laughed. Fury showed them out but not after putting out the fire.

The door closed behind Kakashi. Fury rested a hand on his arm. 'Sorry you had to hear that.' She murmured. Kakashi cleared his throat, recovering from the confusing situation.

'Your friends are scary.' He said, managing a smile. Fury didn't smile back. Her hand slithered from his arm. Her expression was weary.

'I thought they would understand.' She said in a trembling voice. Kakashi reached out and put his arm around her. 'It doesn't matter what I say, they think I'm insane to marry a…' She stopped abruptly and looked at Kakashi.

He looked back. 'A what?'

But she just shook her head. 'Never mind.'

'You know, if the gathering has upset you, we can forget the wedding.' He suggested softly. Fury thumped him gently in the chest.

'No, we're not. It's been four years of romance, it's time to be serious.' Fury said, glaring into his eye.

Kakashi sighed. 'I know this is already a flaw between us but you're nineteen and frankly too young to go through something like this.' He waited for her to retort but she didn't. He continued. 'And I'm thirty, I can wait until you're much older but I'm nearly middle-aged and I'm ready to keep you with me forever.'

Fury wrinkled her brow in frustration. 'That's a bit deep but I get it. I was hoping that we could get married before you start getting tired with me.' She said with slight embarrassment.

Kakashi smiled. 'I'd never get tired with you. After all, we are already destined to stay together forever. The prophecy, remember?' He reminded. Fury smiled briefly. 'I might want some time away on my own sometimes but I would never stop loving you, remember that.'

'You don't mind the talking?'

'If you can handle it, there's no reason I can't.' He shrugged.

Fury grinned widely. 'You're the best.' She blurted out, throwing her hands around him. He smiled to himself and hugged her back.

'Guess the two of you really are in love.'

Fury and Kakashi jumped and pulled apart slightly. The girl with the short hair was back. 'Do you mind?' Fury growled at her. She laughed lightly and moved away.

'Does she have a name?' Kakashi asked, frowning.

'Not yet.' She answered and kissed his cheek. 'Now, where were we?'


End file.
